Reckless
by Unbowed-Unbent-Unbroken
Summary: My take on what should have happened in Judge, Jury and Executioner. Yes it is an Andrea/Dale pairing. Andrea is out of character though  she's actually not a huge *blank* in the story like she is in the show  P.S. People should write more Dale stories!


Sitting by the campfire, Andrea reflected about the events that had happened during the day. Kill the kid, don't kill the kid; living in this world wasn't getting any easier. Dale was right of course, she knew they couldn't just kill this boy; there were so many reasons not to, most importantly of which, is the fact that they would be taking the life of another LIVING human being. In the end, the fear of the unknown had won out, over the kid's life, and the group decided to kill him.

Dale had stalked off after the argument and Andrea hadn't seen him since. She tried looking for him but hadn't found him anywhere and now she was really beginning to worry about him. She kept playing out all the possible scenarios in her mind. Maybe a walker got him, maybe he broken his leg or sprained an ankle and is now stuck somewhere out there alone, or maybe he decided to leave the group… Her thoughts were interrupted when Rick walked up and said "we're keeping him in custody… for now"

Smiling broadly, Andrea got up and said, "I'm gonna find Dale."

Looking all over the campsite, Andrea was still unable to find Dale. Her panic and fear for his well-being started to get more persistent and the anxiety was almost too much so she called out for him, "DALE!" she knew this was stupid because if there were any walkers around then they'd hear and they'd be coming to the sound. Frantically, she circled, scanning the grounds again and again calling out his name, "DALE!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, she finally saw Dale's outline in the distance and she started towards him. However, as quickly as the fear had gone, it was back again when she saw a walker come up behind Dale. She yelled out to him, desperately hoping he would hear her. When Dale turned, the walker jumped him, sending them both to the ground and Dale let out a terrible cry for help.

Andrea ran towards them as fast as her legs could carry her. With tears stinging her eyes she repeatedly prayed in her head, _please God don't let it bite him. Please, I can't lose him too._ As she reached them she kicked the walker off of Dale and just as the rest of the group got there she stabbed it (with the knife she'd gotten accustomed to carrying) in the head over and over again.

Rick placed a hand on Andrea's shoulder, stilling her movements and said, "Andrea…Andrea it's dead."

Dropping her knife, she crawled to a nearby Dale. Kneeling next to him she scanned his body, looking and feeling for any wounds in the darkness.

"Did it bite you? Are you hurt?" she asked frantically still looking for any signs of a bite.

Dale grabbed her hands in his and said, "I'm fine Andrea. It didn't bite me."

"Are you sure?" she asked unconvinced, tears falling freely as she started to cry.

Dale brought his hands up to her face and wiped her tears away. He then forced her to look him in the eyes and said, "I'm sure."

Then, to his surprise, Andrea wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. The rest of the group began to dissipate at the scene, and with her face buried in the crook of his neck, Andrea just continued to cry. Dale put his arms around her and pulled her close. He rubbed her back and made hushing noises in an attempt to calm her.

"Andrea, everything's fine. I'm alright, I swear." Pulling away, Andrea stood up and let loose.

"Dale, what the hell were you thinking going out on your own! Do you realize that you could have been killed just now! That walker could have ripped you to shreds! It could have eaten you and you would have left me here alone! I can't lose you too Dale!" and with that she stormed away, leaving behind a dumb struck Dale (and a dead walker).

When Dale arrived at the RV he found Andrea sitting at the tiny table cleaning her gun.

"Andrea, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just needed some space from everybody after what happened today." He said as he sat down across from her at the table.

"Dale, after Amy died I didn't think I'd ever be able to live again. But you were there for me and you helped me get through. And then when Jenner said that there was nothing left and I wanted to stay at the CDC, you saved my life…although I still don't agree with what you did. And then you go and pull a reckless stunt tonight that nearly got you killed! You told me once that you can't just come into someone's life, make them care and then check out. Well right back at you Dale. You aren't the only one who doesn't want to do this on their own."

"…Andrea…I'm so sorry. I really don't know what to say. I care about you a lot Andrea. The last thing I want to do is upset you." He reached out took her hand. "I promise I'll be more careful."

"I care about you too Dale. I don't know what I'd do without you." And with that Andrea shocked Dale for the second time that night when she leaned in a kissed him. It was short and sweet and before Dale could even respond, she pulled away. Giving him a small smile she left the RV and joined the rest of the group around the fire.

Dale didn't really know what to make of these new circumstances. He used to think that in this new world he had nothing to lose…He was definitely rethinking that.


End file.
